Muscle for Life

“It seems so easy for her to eat healthy all the time, I wish I could stick to that kind of diet.” “I wish I had the work ethic to show up to the gym every day like that guy.” “Why is it so easy for other people to stay lean even through the holidays?” Chances are good you’ve had one of these thoughts or know someone who has. And once you understand the relatively simple levers you need to pull to get in shape—controlling your calorie intake, lifting weights, eating enough protein, and so forth—it’s making yourself pull these levers every day that leads to long-term progress. So why is it so hard to actually do these things? Why do we get up early to go to the gym for a few weeks before succumbing to the temptation to hit the snooze button? Why do we eat more home-cooked meals of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats for a month or two, only to fall back into the habit of getting takeout multiple times per week? Well, the unfortunate answer is this is simply our genetic hardwiring in action. We see